Time For Some Back-To-School Drinkin For Mama

Let me prefice this by saying that I love my son Hunter with all the mite that you'd expect a mother to have. Sometimes I think he's my biggest fan in the world. That said, I never want to go school clothes shopping with him again. Especially to my favorite outlet mall where I couldn't go into the shops I wanted to.

Man cannot live by black t-shirts and tan shorts alone. This however seemed to bounce off my thick-headed son. I tried reasoning with him: "We live in the desert. It's hot. Black retains heat. You'll be sweating all the time." No dice. "People will think you're all goth." Didn't work. "You gotta mix it up a little." Nothing.

Me: Do you like this shirt?
Him: No. Too much design.
Me: This one?
Him: I don't want anything on the back of the shirt.
Me: Whadda about this one?
Him: I don't like the color.

Then we looked for shorts.

Me: Do you like these shorts?
Him: No
Me: Do you like these shorts?
Him: No
Me: C'mon, what about these ones? These are cool. I like the funky design.
Him: No, I don't like them. They're skater shorts. I'm not a skater.
Me: You don't have to be a skater to wear them.
Him: Yes, you do.
Me: Then why do you wear Vans then?
Him: Not just skaters wear them.

It doesn't help when the 3 year old in a stroller grabbing at everything we passed. Belts flying, t-shirts dropping from shelves. I was standing there at one point watching my stoic faced son looking at shirts and my daughter acting like a little crapper when I went all Jenny-like from Forrest Gump, "Dear God, please make me a bird so I can fly far far away." It didn't work.

Whoever the genius was that invented those dumb little rides that toddlers can ride on should be drawn and quartered. Piper wanted to ride them despite the fact that they were burning hot to the touch. I finally let her ride a rocketship that she could climb inside (so it wasn't really hot) but as soon as I put my 2 quarters in, she freaked out because she thought it was going to take off so she jumped out. My quarters gone + other scalding rides that aren't scary = a pissed off toddler who can't ride them.

Why is it that clothing stores switch to winter clothes starting in August. Sweaters, jackets, cute umbrellas and rainboots. Rainboots? Umbrellas? In Vegas? Who is the buyer for this store? Don't they follow regional weather trends? I know the logic of buying winter stuff in advance but seriously people, get a grip. It's rained here like 2 times since we moved here 2 years ago! Anyway, I was looking for some playdresses for the little crapper so we go into one of my fave kids' store, A Childrens' Place. Stop. It's all WINTER STUFF. NOT ONE SUMMERY PLAYDRESS. WTF?!?!?!? Robin has officially hit her breaking point.

I yell in the store, "IT IS OVER 100 DEGREES OUTSIDE! WHY IS THERE ONLY WINTER CLOTHES IN HERE! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"

to which my son replies, "Um mom, that was kinda loud."

Me: "I KNOW! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!" Out of the store we go.

The ride to the outlet mall was a joy. Piper told Hunter continually that I wasn't his mom. I was only her and Jakey's mom. He just played his PSP, nodded and said "uh-huh" a lot which continued to enrage her. She then told him that she liked Jakey more than him. Hunter was all "fine, fine, fine" which again didn't bode well for a peaceful drive. A round of this followed: "You're a stinky butthead!" "No, you are!" "No, YOU are!" NOOOO, YOOOOOOOU AREEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Wait. Who is the soon to be 14 year old participating in this yelling match?

THEN, Pip saw a billboard with a gorilla on it. For 10 minutes, she went on some tirade about how she loves King Kong but she hates him, but she loved the movie (she hasn't seen it, what kind of mom do you think i am?), how she wanted to watch it when we got home because she loved him. I said No which I think may have lead to Hunter telling her to be quiet which I think led to the stinky butthead conversation.

It sure was a productive day. We left the mall with one t-shirt, Quicksilver. At least it was white.

Think of me while I'm passed out on the floor tonight.

Blessings

Two wonderful things have happened in the last couple of days.

First, my son Hunter came home on Saturday after spending the summer with his dad. He is such a mama's boy so it's always hard for me when he's away. In the past, he'd usually come home sad that he had to leave his dad but as the years pass it's been getting easier. This year he bounced off the plane, had a huge smile on his face and gave his mama a big bear hug. I thought his little sister was going to eat him up at the airport. When we got home, he jumped on his bed, laid there and said "Ahhh, it's great to be home." Talk about music to my ears..I can't believe he's turning 14next week.

About a month ago, I took Piper to the doctor because she had a slight fever for a day or two. The fever ended up to be nothing but the dr. picked up what he thought was a heart murmur. He warned me that it could be an innocent murmur which is actually pretty common in kids and is completely harmless. It didn't matter though because I was very upset and freaked out. After our daughter Wrigley passed away, every little thing that happens to Piper is amplified by 100 million gazillion. Long story short, her appointment was not until this morning so this last month has full of worry and what if's.

The best news of all is that it was only an innocent murmur, nothing at all. Paul and I both had tears in our eyes when the pediatric cardiologist told us that her heart is in pristine condition. She was such a trooper at the appointment. No problem getting the ekg or ultrasound. She just laid on the table and kept winking at us while watching Peter Pan.

I thank God every day for giving me our children. I pray daily for their health, safety, well-being and happiness. Sometimes I can get into auto-pilot when I pray..always praying for the same things..so when things happen like this, I know that God still listens no matter what. It reminds me to not forget to thank Him for blessing us in so many ways...and to pray for those parents whose children may not have had the outcome that we had today.

Princess Pip

We interrupt this continual string of stupid posts to post something actually meaningful and touching. Plus this blogger had an extremely emotional day and wants to focus on something positive. Plus she hasn't posted anything for awhile for her parents or in-laws to appreciate.

The last 2 Saturdays Piper had some Princess dance classes. The first was with Ariel, the second with Cinderella. The girls were all supposed to wear some sort of princess dress up clothes. Pip wanted to wear her Cinderella gown to both.

Where in the movie did Ariel wear a hot pink dress?

Asserting herself as her mommy has taught her.

The following Saturday was the Cinderella class. Getting make-up on.

More assertion: Step off! Cinderella is mine! You can't have her!

Check out her kick at the end..She was trying to imitate another girl who did a high kick at the end of her little walk with Cinderella. I started laughing and hit the stop button..durn it! Pip was pretty proud of herself..Yeahh, that's how she rolls!

If Only...

Today started out like any other day. Pip and I ran errands then we decided to get our toes painted. I don't take her very often because we normally paint her nails at home but I like to take her occasionally because she just loves it.

I'm enjoying watching Pip chatter on with the nail gal when all of a sudden I think of Wrigley and my heart starts to hurt. I wished she was here getting her nails painted too. I wished I had to keep my eye on both my girls as they cavorted around the salon. Sometimes I don't want to think of her in moments like this because it sucks up the joy of that moment for Piper. But that's not Wrigley's fault so I continue to think of her, wish for her, ache for her and smile for Piper. Stay the course just stay the course, I think to myself.

This reminds of the other night when our family went to Pip's fave restaraunt after her recital. They give balloons to the kids so Pip always gets one for herself and one for her sister. "I'm sending it up to heaven Mom." We go outside and she lets it go. "Here you go Wrigley. Here's your balloon!" she says. This particular night was more emotional for me since the grandparents were with us. We all stood outside watching the balloon rise and rise and rise even further. I'm having trouble now, not being able to move or talk or participate in waving "bye-bye" to the balloon. I'm pissed at the stupid balloon. I don't want to watch it go to my daughter. I'd rather have her with me than watch that stupid balloon.

The saving grace was a teenage couple that came out of the restaraunt with a bunch of their own balloons. They saw the 7 of us looking up at the sky so the girl looks up, walks closer, looks up and walks closer, looks up again and pretty soon is standing shoulder to shoulder with my dad. My dad and her quietly watch the balloon for a few seconds. My dad quickly explains that we let a balloon go and that we're just watching it. "Oh!" she says "I was wondering what you all were doing!" and we all start laughing. I was grateful for that girl and her boyfriend. To cut through the emotional heaviness for me, to lighten my heart a little bit, for helping me realize at that moment that I was still there with my family instead of retreating into my own sorrow.

Piper's Dance Recital/Grandparent Visit

Piper had her dance recital this weekend. As you can imagine, it was very cute, all the girls looked adorable, and there were tons of great dances from girls ranging from about 3 to 18. Pip's class was no exception. The girls looked like little models. They danced to 'Rad Moves' from The Backyardigans. One of the funniest things was at the end of their dance. A little background first - Some of you may have read an older post of mine where I described one of our after dinner clean up activities: break-dancing. Check out the picture of the hub at the bottom where I caught him in a break dance pose smiling at the camera.

Anyway, at the end of the girls' dance they were supposed to sashe off the stage. Instead, my child decides to lay on the stage and pose just like her daddy's breakdancing move. This was SO not part of their routine but it was SO FUNNY because she struck the pose and KEPT IT until they finally got hustled off the stage. The audience (at least around us) was going nuts. The hub, me, my mom, dad, mother-in-law and Harvey where laughing hysterically. We weren't allowed to video or take pictures since it was professionally video'd (aka: yet-another-way-to-suck-money-out-of-the-parents-besides-making-us-pay-$60-for-the-costumes-without-getting-the-girls'-measurements-then-telling-us-we're-responsible-for-any-alterations...but that is another story), so I'll post the the video when I get it. Anyhoo, their routine was the cutest thing ever. We were so proud of Pip and celebrated at her fave restaraunt, Red Robin, afterwards.

After dinner, Pip was teaching her daddy some of the dance moves from her routine. I wish I had filmed more of it but we were laughing so hard I didn't even think to grab the camera until the last minute. Here's a bit of it:

Saturday was also my dad's 29th AA sobriety birthday. I can't believe it's been 29 years. I know it couldn't have been easy all of these years but he did it. Not only for himself but for our family. We went through a lot back then but it was worth it. We celebrated his success along with Pip this weekend as well. Happy 29th Dad! We are all very proud of you!

This morning both grandmas had some 'recital' gifts for Pip. Note to self: put some tap shoes on, pretend your in a recital so you'll get gifts too. From Grandma she got a cool fashion doll dress up magnet set. Remember our old paper dolls with the fold over tabs? This is SO much cooler. From her nana, she got a Fancy Nancy tutu, tiara, earring and shoe dress up kit. Put them all together and you have this:

Saying good bye to the grandparents today:

Pip, her Grandma & Harvey

Pip, her Nana, and Grandma

Pip with Grandpa

Pip, Nana and Grandpa

I wish her brothers could have been here but they're in Arizona with their dad at the moment. Don't worry guys, you'll see the video soon! Your sister misses you guys!

Peeing in Walmart

Pip had to go the bathroom in Walmart the other day. By the time she told me she could barely hold it.

Cut to running across the store with the cart, screeching to a halt in front of the bathrooms, grabbing her out of the cart and running in.

Think slow-mo now: I'm running with her to the stall and glance at a couple of urinals. I immediately think "How neat. Walmart put urinals in the womens' bathroom for the little boys that come in with their moms."

Cut now to halfway through Pip's business: All of a sudden I realize "Oh Sh** we're in the MENS' RESTROOM" I am now rushing her, yanking her pants up and running to the sinks to wash. Why didn't I just run out into the womens? Because I am such a germ-o-phobe I still had to get our hands washed despite risking being caught, arrested and eventually explaining my story on the Today Show to Matt and Meredith.

Piper having to pee in a store: Typical
Peeing in the mens' bathroom: Also Typical (you just have to know me)
Seeing the look on everyones' faces at the cashier lines when we ran out looking guilty: PRICELESS

Daddy and Bo-Bo are going to be jealous...

Piper had her friend Nicholas from pre-school over to play today. He is such a cutie pie. We tried to go outside but it was windy and cold so we stayed indoors. As you can see, we found plenty to do!

On The Mend

Pip is still feverish but getting a little better now that the antibiotics started to kick in. This mommy is exhausted. Taking care of the kids and getting scolded from her parents for not calling them before blogging about their sick grand-daughter just took too much out of her today.

Anniversary - Emergency

Paul and I started out Sunday by waking up and tell each other "Happy Anniversary". We ended the day after coming home from the emergency room at 12:15 this morning with Piper. At about 9pm, she had a 105 degree fever so we hurried to the hospital. It turned out to be a bad throat infection and tonsilitis. Her tonsils don't need to come out, whew..Just lots of medicine and TLC. They fast tracked us since her fever was so high but we were still there 3 hours. Hunter was so worried he insisted on coming with us. What a trooper, he still got up and made it to school on time.

Her morning meds just kicked in. She's down to 99.2. Hopefully it won't yo-yo back up again. She was dozing on the couch but now she's starting to fuss. Not sure I'll blog anymore today. Gonna cuddle with my girl.

Fashion Show

We have a couple different after dinner rituals that seem to happen almost every night. One is Piper tries to run us down with trike through the kitchen, family and dining rooms. The other is playing music and dancing. The newest one is the Fashion Show..I grab the phone and 'announce' what Piper is wearing as she walks down the runway. This particular night her and dad were upstairs and they both thought this blouse was a dress. She wanted to model it. Hunter was hysterical with the garbage bag on his head. My mom was in town so she got a kick out of it..

Darth Pippie

Playing in the playroom this morning..Pip dawns her ballet recital outfit and Hunter's darth vader mask followed by Hunter's Jason mask (both old Halloween costumes in case you think my son is weird)..The following pics are such a contradiction but at the same time, sooo funny.

Buckethead

Piper wanted Hunter to 'play' play-doh with her. So of course, in true Bo-Bo style, he talks her into putting a bucket on her head so he can put a play-doh face on it. She was a little hesitant at first but once she did it, she didn't want to take it off..Too funny!!!

A Daddy, A Daughter, and a Bottle of Nail Polish

So I come into the bathroom this morning and find Paul sitting on the floor with Pip painting her nails. I must say it's one of the cutest things I've ever seen. She was just chatting away while daddy was trying not to mess up with the polish. When he did, Pip said, "Daddy, fix it!" Ever the patient one, Daddy took a deep breath and fixed the offending nail. My hubby is such a guy..sports fanatic, skier, golfer..but I love that he's not afraid to sit down and have some 'girlie' time with his daughter.

First Day of Preschool

So today was Piper's first day of preschool. She was very excited to wear her Cinderella backpack and to play on the playground. Even knowing what to expect, my heart was in my throat and I was fighting the tears. She was such a big girl, she didn't even want me to walk her in but to be dropped off out front. Of course, mommy walked her to her classroom and signed her in. We were the first ones there so we took time exploring room and finding her cubby. I had a feeling she wouldn't freak out when I left so when she didn't, I was relieved. She just waved and said, "Bye Mom!" Mommy on the other hand was a different story - Tears all the way to the grocery store!

Update - Piper was all smiles when I picked her up. She gave me a big hug and said she had lots of fun..Whew! :-)

eye doctor

Piper and I went to a peds opthamologist today to get a stye on her eye checked out. She was such a trooper. Two eye patches, eye dialations and 2 hours later she was still smiling. You can see the stye in the picture of the two of us.

Pip's Recital

Piper had her first ballet recital tonight. It was so cute. God has blessed us with this child. If I can ever figure out how to get the video off our camcorder I'll post it as well but until then, enjoy these pics..